I Heard You
by Rivergem
Summary: A mission off-world goes wrong... Writing anything else would be telling.
1. Blue event horizon

Disclaimer: It ain't mine, wish it was. Don't sue me all you will get is some fluff and a couple of two pence coins if you're lucky. Spoilers: None, just general knowledge of the show. Rating: PG, but it may go up to PG-13 in later chapters.  
  
Heya people, this is the very first fic I have ever written and while I'm not a writer who writes simply for the reviews, feedback is appreciated and criticism welcomed since it helps me to write better. Sorry if this chapter is a little short but this is how I write. Short chapters that are posted often are better than long ones that are posted every month or so aren't they? Eh. Anyway hope you enjoy, love Rivergem. P.S Big eyup to all you British writers out there!  
  
The sound of his heart beating pounded in his ears, the thick undergrowth torn at his uniform and his boots caught on the roots and broken branches that littered the forest floor. Three of the most important people in his life ran ahead of him, glancing back at him and the unseen enemies that chased them. He dodged past a tree and he felt the wind of the flying bolt on his cheek as it slammed into the bark beside him.  
A flash of blue in the trees to the left of him caught his eye and, without a thought, he ducked, rolled and rose to find the wrong end of a crossbow pointing at him. The world seemed to stop.  
Contrary to popular belief his life did not flash before his eyes, instead his mind concentrated, with a sense of irony that O'Neill would have appreciated had he not been about to die, on the two things he regretted the most in his life. The first was not putting his gun out of reach all those years ago, a simple, thoughtless mistake that cost him his son's life and deadened him inside. In a fraction of a second he lost the thing he loved the most in the world and terribly, devastatingly he was to blame for it. He accepted the guilt and it hung over everything he did like a black storm cloud inside his head. Until, that is, he found partial salvation in the Stargate but he was never the same. How could he be? The other regret was...  
The tip the crossbow disappeared and was replaced by the stoic face of Teal'c who grabbed him and hauled him up.  
"We must hurry." But O'Neill was way ahead of him; he jumped over the smoking body of the native and sprinted through the trees towards his other teammates.  
"Daniel! Dial up the 'gate," he yelled as he pushed aside a branch and staggered into the clearing. Trained eyes scanned the area and he felt a stab of panic. "Where's Carter?"  
"I thought she was with you!" No sooner than the words left Daniel's mouth he was gone, emotion fuelling his body. He could hear people running after him and the dull thuds of bolts hitting the ground around him but none of it registered. He was too busy trying to sense any clue of where Carter was, the smell of perfume, a footprint, anything. He tripped, fell and tasted blood but forced himself up and ran on. He knew that the further he ran, the less chance he had of getting back but if this meant that he could find Carter then he didn't care.  
Then O'Neill saw her. A glimpse of blonde among the brown of the leaves, she was sprawled on the ground next to a fallen tree. She had obviously slipped on the wet moss and fallen, hitting her head on the ground. No time to check for a pulse, he picked her up and, his sprint reduced to a jog by her weight, turned back towards the gate.  
Carter's head lolled against his chest as he shoved past low-hanging branches straight into a surprised native. O'Neill instinctively kicked him in the stomach and began the final dash across the clearing to the Stargate, his P-90 banging painfully against his side. He bounded up the steps and was within a foot of the blue portal when one, strangely beautiful thought hit him; the event-horizon was exactly the same colour as Sam's eyes.  
Then a bolt, gracefully speeding through the air like some sort of twisted metal bird, hit him in the shoulder and he fell, with her, backwards through the Stargate.  
  
Mwhahaha, I love cliffhangers. 


	2. As if asleep

O'Neill's head hit the metal grating and he was still. They both lay there, foreheads touching, as if asleep.  
"Take them to the infirmary now!" Dr. Frasier yelled checking their pulses and trying to stop the flow of blood from his shoulder. The medics rushed into the gateroom and lifted O'Neill and Carter onto two gurneys. They wheeled them out and Janet Frasier ran after them.  
Daniel and Teal'c, who had been waiting in silence by the gate for their teammates to return, both looked to the commander of the SGC stood in the control room above them. General Hammond appeared more tired than ever, worry lines scored his brow and his lips were thin.  
"The sooner we get the debriefing over with, the sooner we can see how Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are doing. I want you in the briefing room now," he said into the microphone and left the window overlooking the Stargate.  
Teal'c turned to Daniel. "Do not worry Daniel Jackson, I am sure that they will survive. I do not believe that Major Carter's injury was serious and Colonel has sustained worst wounds before," he said, his face impassive. He turned and walked away.  
"Well, when you put it like that," Daniel muttered.  
* * *  
Daniel lent back into his chair. "When we arrived on the planet we were met by a boy called... er... Lasika, and..."  
"Lakas," said Teal'c.  
Daniel blinked. "Yes, Lakas. Anyway he took us to his village where we were introduced to a group of village elders who asked us where we had come from. I told them that we had come from Earth and we were known as the Tauri." Daniel fiddled with the papers that rested on the table in front of him. "Then they started to whisper and went outside the meeting house to talk. We were getting suspicious and Jack said that we should leave when some guards came in and tried to arrest us. From what I can gather they have a legend, one possibly started by the resident Gould to undermine us in case we ever visited their planet, in which people calling themselves the Tauri are really demons sent to destroy them. We overpowered the guards and escaped the village but they chased us. Upon reaching the Stargate we found that Sam was missing and Jack went back to get her while we dialled up the gate. Then we came through and..."  
"Thank you Dr. Jackson. A full debriefing will be scheduled once Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are fit enough to attend. Now I think we should go and see how they are doing." General Hammond stood up and walked out into the corridor followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c.  
* * *  
Upon entering the infirmary the first thing Daniel noticed was Jack. He was resting on a gurney connected to a network of tubes and wires. To see someone who was usually so capable and who Daniel, indeed the rest of SG1, relied on so much, lying there prone and helpless was disconcerting. Although Daniel knew that Jack could be a pain in the arse sometimes and his stubbornness, when encountered, was a force to be reckoned with, he also knew how good Jack was at doing his job and keeping his team safe. For these reasons and more, two very different people had become best friends and it hurt Daniel to see Jack looking this way.  
Janet walked up to them. "Colonel O'Neill was hit in the shoulder with what seems to be a primitive crossbow bolt, he will need minor to remove it as it has become lodged next to his collarbone. The procedure should only take an about an hour and will be fairly straightforward but he will have to be anaesthetised. However Sam, thanks to the Colonel, will be fine. She has a concussion and a sprained ankle but nothing drastic." She smiled. "I would recommend that she stays here overnight so I can keep an eye on her but she should be out of here in no time." She turned to General Hammond. "Due to the nature of the sprain, I would advise that Sam doesn't go off-world for a week."  
"Thank you Doctor. Is Major Carter awake?" Asked the General.  
"Yes Sir and she been asking for you all. She's just through there," she pointed to the door of the adjoining room. "If you will excuse me, I need to take the Colonel to the operating theatre," she said wearily. Daniel smiled at her and Teal'c bowed his head and she left.  
They watched as Jack was wheeled slowly out of the infirmary then walked through the door Janet had signalled to. Sam was sitting up in bed, her short blonde hair haloed around her face and a small cut just visible next to her hairline. Her ankle, wrapped in a support bandage, was resting on the bed in front of her. When she saw the three men walk in she looked up.  
"Sir," she grinned and nodded to General Hammond. "Daniel! Teal'c!" Then her face fell. "Where Colonel O'Neill? Is he ok?"  
"He will be fine Major, he's just going into surgery right now to have the bolt removed but apart from a nasty scar, he will make a full recovery. However you will both be released from active duty until you are both well," said the General.  
"Yes Sir. That will give me a chance to examine that crystal-based battery that SG4 brought back from P5X-294. Its circuits are amazing, did you know it can store up..." Occasionally there were times when Daniel had to agree with Jack's constant complaints that Sam was a workaholic and, by the look on General Hammonds face, so did he.  
"Major! No work! The whole team will be put on leave for two weeks. After that mission you deserve it. Will someone please contact me when Colonel O'Neill is awake?" He smiled and said "I'm glad you will be ok Major." Then he walked out, his bald head gleaming in the harsh light.  
Sam leant back into the cushions and stretched. "When will Colonel O'Neill be awake?" She asked, a slight frown on her face.  
Daniel had not failed to notice how Sam had immediately asked about the well being of another instead of her own. To him it was what made Sam, Sam. "In a few hours. Do you want anything? Coffee? Books? Naquada generator?" He quipped.  
"Not everyone shares your addiction Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c impassively.  
"I am not addicted Teal'c!" He said indignantly. Sometimes Daniel was sure that Teal'c was privately having laugh at everyone.  
"I believe you are Daniel Jackson, for instance yesterday when O'Neill finished the last of the coffee you..."  
"Guys! Guys. If you could get me the books on my table in my lab Daniel, that would great," laughed Sam. "Thanks."  
* * *  
Upon returning with the requested books, Daniel and Teal'c sat next to Sam's bed, Teal'c in a shallow state of kel'noreem, Sam reading and Daniel translating an ancient Gould tablet. Although they sat in silence, Daniel knew that unspoken words passed between them. For each of them their team was their family and when one of them was injured, none could rest properly until they knew that he or she would be ok. While their eyes were closed or focused on text, their minds were concentrated on Jack.  
  
I promise you guys that this story does have an actual plot; it's not just about SG1 on their downtime so keep reading. Go on... go on go on go on go on... Oh and by the way thank you to charlie-sjer for their review. 


	3. Saving the Earth and etcetera

Thanks to charlie_sjer, Jaber, sandjgirl (I want them to do a spot of fishing as well), macisgate and especially to Becky (Look! No author note at the end. No one can say I don't take my reviews seriously). People you got to believe me this story is going somewhere just bear with me through the next couple of chapters.  
  
O'Neill opened his eyes. Through the mists of anaesthesia he could see three pairs of eyes. One startlingly blue, the other also blue but bespectacled and one a deep brown. Maybe he was in heaven and these were angels or maybe he had ascended and these were fellow acsendees or...  
"You are awake O'Neill"  
Maybe not. Teal'c's habit of stating the obvious brought O'Neill crashing back to reality and back to the pain. Carter!  
"Where is she? Is she ok?" He mumbled urgently.  
"Relax Jack. She's fine, she's right here," said Daniel, a slight grin crossing his face.  
"Thanks to you sir," said Carter stepping forward and smiling. "I'm all right."  
His team was safe, he breathed out then immediately wished he hadn't; his shoulder throbbed unbearably. The rest of SG1 must have noticed his grimace because a collective wince crossed all of their faces, even Teal'c's.  
"Sir, I wouldn't move for a while. Janet says you'll be out of here in a few days but until then you have to keep still otherwise you could tear some of your stitches," said Carter.  
"Major Carter, I do not think that you realise what you asking O'Neill to do," said Teal'c stoically.  
"Hey T! I'm not that bad." Teal'c had definitely been getting more defiant with only Danny around to tell him what to do.  
"Yes, Jack you are. I don't think I've ever seen you sit still for any of mine or Sam's briefings before."  
"Oh come on, you and Carter know that I find your little lectures very interesting," said O'Neill deadpanning.  
There was silence. Then the whole team, minus Teal'c who raised an eyebrow, burst out laughing but not one of them would admit that they laughed partly with relief.  
General Hammond, who had been watching the scene from by the door, smiled and walked slowly back to his office, satisfied that his premier team was back together again and happy.  
* * *  
That night, after Daniel and Teal'c had returned to their respective rooms, Carter and O'Neill were left alone in the infirmary. O'Neill was playing on his gameboy and Carter was engrossed in a book that she insisted on calling 'light reading' despite it being over two inches thick. Dr. Frasier bustled in with her white coat billowing slightly behind her, in her hand were two huge needles.  
O'Neill stared at them. "Er... Doc those aren't for me, are they?"  
Dr. Frasier laughed, slightly evilly in O'Neill's opinion. "No Colonel they are not for you. I was just taking them to the storeroom but if you like..."  
"No! No, it's ok Doc. I'll survive without them I assure you," he said hurriedly.  
Carter sat and watched the conversation with an almost imperceptible grin on her face. After Dr. Frasier had left saying goodnight, they lay in the darkness of the infirmary silently. O'Neill's mind wandered to the prospect of two weeks of downtime that lay ahead of him. He was looking forward to spending time with his team outside of the base, something that he couldn't really do for the simple reason that he hardly ever got downtime. That and when he did it was often interrupted by things like having to save the Earth and etcetera.  
Perhaps this time he would get a chance to go fishing for a few days. He sighed and glanced at Carter who had her back turned to him in the bed across the room, her short blonde hair sticking up in all directions. Then he rolled over and started to drift off into sleep. "Sir? Are you asleep?" "Yes." Carter smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You would have done the same for me Carter. However if we do ever get in that situation again but with me being the one who's knocked out..." "What?" She asked. "Don't even attempt to lift me, let alone carry me back to the gate."  
* * *  
The next day Carter was released from the infirmary after a stern warning from Dr. Frasier to use crutches for the next few days and the team spent most of their time preventing O'Neill from going crazy with boredom. Daniel and Carter spent the morning playing alternate games of chess against him. What many people didn't know about Jack O'Neill was that he was surprisingly good at chess. He won all but two games, one to both Daniel and Carter. They had just left to pack their things for their downtime when Dr. Frasier walked in.  
"Well good news Colonel, I think that your wound is free of infection and the stitches seem to be healing well. So, you are free to go on your downtime off base if you don't do anything to tear those stitches." She laughed at the expression of joy on O'Neill's face. "Be careful though, if you or Major Carter for that matter, feel unwell, if you feel sick or dizzy then report back to me. You could suffer some after-effects of your concussions."  
"Thanks Janet, you don't know how much this means to me," he said as he clumsily stood up. "Er... Have you got my clothes because walking around the base in these," he pointed to the scrubs he was wearing, "wouldn't do much for my reputation."  
Dr. Frasier smirked and fetched his clothes from the cupboard next to his bed. "Remember to take these painkillers twice a day." She handed him a container full of small, white tablets. "Oh and have a good downtime Colonel," she said as she left.  
He got dressed slowly and painfully then made his way down to his quarters where he changed into his civilian clothes and packed his bag. He met Teal'c who was standing patiently outside his room.  
"Hey T. You been waiting for me?" he asked.  
"Indeed, O'Neill. I was instructed by Daniel Jackson to escort you to Level 1 where we are meeting him and Major Carter," Teal'c said impassively. He was in his civvies and was already wearing a black beanie hat to cover the gold symbol on his forehead.  
"Great, I've got a 6'4 Jaffa as a babysitter", muttered O'Neill as they walked towards the lift.  
* * *  
They met Daniel and Carter outside the lift; both were wearing their own clothes.  
"Listen Jack..." Daniel began.  
"You guys want to come round mine for a few days or so?"  
"Sir... I don't know..." Stuttered Carter.  
"What I was going to say was..." Daniel started.  
"T?" Asked O'Neill interrupting him.  
"Thank you O'Neill. I would very much like to stay at your house," said Teal'c calmly.  
"Great! Daniel? Carter? Come on, a bit of team bonding?"  
"Jack! Do you ever shut up? I was going to invite you all round mine but sure I'll to go to your place for a bit." Daniel grinned.  
"What about you Carter?" Asked O'Neill with a bit too much casualness in his voice. Everyone looked at Carter.  
She was silent for a moment. O'Neill was surprised at how nervous he was. "I'd love to Sir." With that SG1 turned and walked out into the bright Colorado sunlight. 


	4. Among pizza and family

Thanks to Emowyen, Sci Fi Fan Gillain, and again to macisgate and sandjgirl for reviewing. Sorry the formatting is a bit off in the first half of this chapter. For some reason FanFiction merged this part into one paragraph with no new lines for speech so apologies in advance.  
  
Sitting on Jack's couch while the three other members of SG1 quarrelling about the scientific plausibility of science-fiction films, Daniel felt at home. He had never really felt like he belonged until he lived on Abydos and then when he became part of SG1. For now, memories of Abydos aside, he was complete. Just watching his three best friends mock-arguing; Jack joking and charming the others into submission, Teal'c stating his view with composed conviction and Sam using facts, figures and her natural verve to get her point across. He was at peace, he was among family. "You've been a bit quiet Space-Monkey. Is there any wrong?" Said Jack during a lull in the discussion. "No, I'm fine," Daniel got up frowning at the use of the hated nickname. "Anyone want me to get them a refill while I'm up?" "Diet coke please," said Sam. "A water please Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c. "Make that two Danny and could you get me an aspirin while you're at it. They're in the top left cupboard." "You all right Jack?" Asked Daniel, concerned. He had noticed Jack looking a little pale earlier and he knew that SG1, especially Jack and Sam, had an unspoken rule that you didn't ask for medication for an injury unless it was absolutely necessary and you certainly didn't complain about it. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just feel a little sick. Too much pizza probably," he said shrugging off Daniels worry. Daniel sighed; he supposed it was a military thing. "Well let us know if you feel any worst," he said as he walked into the kitchen. "Will do!" Jack called.  
* * * Later that night the team sat on the patio outside the patio. Jack had brought the telescope down from the roof because there was no way that Sam could get up there with her crutches. She was currently teaching Teal'c how to use it and O'Neill, unusually quiet, was watching them. Suddenly he got up and walked quickly into the house. "Be right back," he mumbled. Sam glanced at Daniel and turned back to Teal'c who frowned. She unsteadily got to her feet and reached for her crutches then she began to hobble towards the door. "Sam..." "Daniel," she said her eyes hard.  
He stopped and watched her move slowly through the door. He looked at Teal'c who nodded at him. The military was alien to both of them.  
"Sir! Sir, are you alright?" Sam's voice, unnaturally high, could be heard from inside. Daniel and Teal'c were about to get up when they heard a low mumbling in reply. Daniel breathed out slowly, he was telling Janet about this whether Jack liked it or not. Risking Jack's wrath was better than risking his health.  
With painstaking slowness Jack stumbled out, his hand on his stomach and Sam following him close behind. In the half-light he looked drawn and ashen, the lines around his mouth were set and his eyes were screwed up in pain.  
"Colonel O'Neill..." began Teal'c but Jack interrupted him.  
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Danny could you get the phone for me?" Daniel went into the hall to retrieve the phone and, despite the seriousness of the situation, could not help a snort of laughter when the words; "Man, I am so not ordering from that pizza place again," drifted inside. 


	5. Into the infinity

Hello again. Had a bit of a writing frenzy today so looks like you lot are going to have two new chapters to trawl through instead of one. God I hope the formatting works out ok on this one. Enjoy.  
  
Back at the base Colonel O'Neill sat on the edge of an infirmary bed swinging his legs. Sam sat next to him, her crutches resting on her knees, Teal'c stood, as pokerfaced as ever and Daniel sat opposite him, twirling his fingers. Janet strode in and Sam could tell by the look on her face that the news wasn't good. She felt a familiar lurch in her stomach; SG1 had been in this situation too many times.  
"Colonel," she said. "I've had the results of your blood test analysed and a... a toxin has been detected in your blood. The crossbow bolt that hit you must have been poisoned and your headaches and nausea are the first symptoms." Sam went cold.  
"How can it be treated Doctor?" Said General Hammond with a hint of hope.  
"Well..." She paused and looked at O'Neill. "It's a type I've never seen before. It probably doesn't even exist on Earth but from chemical analysis I can tell that it's makeup is organic. It's almost certainly derived from a plant. However until we know exactly which one and a sample of it is brought back then an antidote cannot be made." Suddenly the barriers of strength and reassurance that Janet, as a doctor, kept around her began to show cracks. "I'm sorry but if someone doesn't go back to the planet then... You will die," she said to the Colonel who stared into the middle distance.  
"How long do we have?" General Hammond asked.  
"Since the Colonel..." She glanced at Daniel. "...Reported the symptoms so early, I estimate two, maybe three, days."  
Sam's world began to glaze over. She could hear the general talking but she wasn't listening, all she could focus on was O'Neill who was just sat there, his long fingers turning a medical instrument over and over in his hands. She felt as if she couldn't breathe and she could hear her heart beating loudly in the silence of her mind. She was frozen, her brain racing over each possibility with such concentration that she didn't notice someone calling her name until they shook her shoulder.  
"Carter. Hey Carter!" A pair of deep brown eyes looked into her own. "General Hammond's talking to you."  
"Major? Are you all right?" She nodded at him mutely and he turned to Daniel and Teal'c. "Would you two be prepared to go back to P2X-959? You will certainly encounter resistance and you will be putting your lives at risk. I want you to understand that this is not an order and no one will blame you if you refuse."  
The rest of SG1 looked at each other blankly. He didn't even have to ask.  
"Yes General Hammond I accept. I can only hope that the next time I see you O'Neill, I will have the key to your recovery in my hand. There is no time to waste. You are a true warrior O'Neill." Said Teal'c as he pulled him into a one-armed hug and then strode out. Sam saw a surprised but deep gratitude in O'Neill's eyes.  
"We'll be back soon Jack," said Daniel. He smiled grimly at them and then he too walked out the infirmary.  
"You can see them off from the control room in five." The general followed them.  
* * *  
The gate began to dial in. The sound of chevrons locking echoed through the gate room and Daniel, Teal'c and SG3 stood in front of the great stone circle. Above them Sam, O'Neill and General Hammond watched them from the window of the control room.  
The general put his mouth the microphone. "Teal'c and Daniel. SG3 have agreed to accompany you on this mission. You know your goal; find out what poison was used on the tips of the native crossbow bolts and bring back a sample." He stood back to let Janet speak.  
"You need to at least bring back a poisoned bolt but ideally a specimen of the plant that the toxin is made from." She said hesitantly.  
"Remember this mission is entirely voluntary so I want anyone who doesn't wish to participate to speak now," General Hammond asked gently. There was long, unbearable silence. The leader of SG3 grinned at O'Neill.  
"Thank you." Said O'Neill quietly his voice faltering with an unusual show of emotion.  
"We'll be back in no time Sir." The young Captain assured him. The Stargate engaged and the event-horizon splashed into place.  
"Ok! I want no casualties SGC or otherwise people. Try to make contact with the natives and maybe you can convince them that you are friendly. The malp has shown there are no hostiles around the gate but be on your guard. If you're not back within forty-eight hours your codes will be locked out of the base computer. You have a go!" General Hammond barked.  
With a backwards glance at Jack and Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed SG3 into the blue infinity. Sam stole a fleeting look at him standing stiffly next to her. His face was stony but his eyes told a different story. 


	6. Game of chess

Thank you very much Diane for the review. You give great advice, this website is about the writing not the reviews and I have been and will continue to write because I love, to not because of the reviews I receive about it and so pressure on me then? Lol. Also thank you once again to macisgate and sandjgirl for reviewing so many times. P.S The broom closet is for later. ;)  
  
O'Neill felt helpless. The overwhelming gratitude towards his friends and colleagues had disappeared and had been replaced with worry and regret. What if they didn't make it back? He could never live with himself for letting them go. The little cynical voice in his head reminded him that if they didn't make it back he wouldn't have to live with himself. He'd be dead within two days.  
He was back in the infirmary now and in bed. Dr. Frasier had told him that any unnecessary exercise could accelerate the deterioration of his health. He had to admit that he didn't really feel like moving anyway, his legs were beginning to feel numb and, although Dr. Frasier had given him drugs to stop him vomiting, he was nauseous. A heart monitor was beeping away next to him, beating out the time that his team had to spend millions of miles away and in danger for his sake. Carter was asleep in the chair beside his bed, a book in her lap and her crutches on the floor. It was probably past midnight but O'Neill didn't have the heart to wake her. He knew she was as frustrated as him at being unable to do anything and that sleep was a welcome distraction from worrying.  
So in the sterile darkness of the infirmary he drifted into an uneasy sleep that was wracked with nightmares of gunshots, blood and fallen friends.  
* * *  
O'Neil awoke in the early hours of the morning to find the ward empty. He lay there for a few minutes staring at the whitewashed ceiling until he was jerked out his trance by the clatter of crutches on the door and a knock.  
"Come on in," he croaked.  
Carter hopped in followed by a nurse carrying a tray with two bowls and spoons, a jug of milk and a box of fruit loops on it. The nurse placed the tray on the side of his bed, nodded at them and left the room.  
"I didn't know you liked fruit loops Carter."  
She grinned and said, "They've grown on me."  
O'Neill looked at the food on the tray and his stomach churned. "You know? I'll think I'll pass on breakfast today."  
"Sorry Sir but Janet told me that if you didn't eat it she would have to find those needles she put away last time." She laughed then said seriously, "Sir, please. By tomorrow morning you could be unable to eat, it's important that you eat properly today."  
O'Neill frowned but picked up the spoon anyway. He started to eat the fruit loops, forcing down each spoonful until the bowl was empty. After he finished he looked up to find Carter staring at him with a concerned expression on her face and suddenly his temper rose.  
"Oh for crying out loud! I'm not dead yet Major." He snapped. She flinched visibly then her eyes narrowed. O'Neill let out his breath in a low sigh. "Sorry. It's just I'd much rather be out there with them than stuck in here."  
"Me too sir. I asked Janet if there was anything I could do to help in the lab but we have nothing to go on until Daniel, Teal'c and SG3 bring back a sample of the plant."  
"Isn't there some doohickey you could play with?" Asked O'Neill.  
"I don't want... No, there isn't sir, but if you want to be alone for a while then..." She said, misunderstanding him.  
"No! Carter, if you went away and with Danny and Teal'c being off world, there would be no one to bug. And no one to force me to eat fruit loops." He joked.  
"I never thought I'd hear you admit to being forced to eat fruit loops. You practically live on the stuff sir."  
"Hey. At least I'm not as bad as Daniel with his coffee." Carter looked at him and he thought about what he had just said. "Ok. That's not much of a consolation I know but everyone has his or her little weaknesses. Mine just happens to be fruit loops."  
She smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Would you like to play a game of chess sir?" 


	7. Trusting suspicions

I have just discovered that the secret to curing writer's block is to eat kit-kats. So I will be living on them for the rest of the Easter holidays. If you live near me (you know who you are) don't bother trying to get some from your local supermarket, I have already bought their entire stock. Thanks to Jamei, Emowyen (again) and Sci fi Fan Gillian (again) for reviewing. A huge thank you to Macisgate and Sandjgirl (you do like your sexual innuendos don't you?) for being my most faithful reviewers. So this chapter is dedicated to you guys. P.S Once again sorry about the formatting in the middle of this story, I do know how to structure paragraphs it's just fanfiction doesn't like me.  
  
Teal'c's stepped onto the stone base of the Stargate platform and heard the sound of the portal closing behind him. Immediately he swung his staff weapon round as he searched the area for hostiles with quick precision. SG3 and Daniel Jackson were already crouched at the bottom of the steps and although the clearing was quiet except for the rustle of leaves in the wind, they were alert and ready.  
"Ok guys move out. Dr. Jackson could you stay with me so you can show us the way?" Asked the leader of SG3 scanning the tree line. Daniel nodded and they began to walk into the wood.  
Teal'c knew the village to be at least ten miles away; a three-hour walk through the trees. They could easily be ambushed and Teal'c knew this so he kept his hands tight on his weapon and his eyes on the undergrowth around them. However his mind wandered to O'Neill and Major Carter waiting back on Earth. He had been mildly surprised at the look on O'Neill's face when he and Daniel had volunteered for the mission. He knew that Colonel O'Neill would do the same for any of his team, so why did he not expect it in return? He also knew Major Carter's frustration at having to stay on the base, unable to help someone who...  
The snap of a branch, as loud as a gunshot in the near silence of the wood, made Teal'c turn swiftly to the direction it had come from. He jumped over a log and crouched noiselessly behind it. He span around at the rustle of some leaves behind him then crept softly towards a clump of ferns at the base of the log. Slowly he parted the leaves of a fern with the end of his staff...  
There was nothing there.  
"It was probably just an animal or something." Said one of the younger soldiers who had walked up behind him. He took a step back when Teal'c looked at him.  
"Perhaps."  
They continued to walk. Teal'c was more vigilant than ever, it was very rarely that his warrior's instincts deceived him. The shifting shadows created by the wind blowing in the leaves formed shapes in the undergrowth. He changed his view constantly, his head turning this way and that hoping to catch a glimpse of his elusive enemy.  
"Teal'c you know maybe he was right. Maybe you did just see an small creature or something." Daniel Jackson said as he walked alongside him. Then, as if on cue, there was a flash of red in the trees to the left of him. Teal'c strode over to the nearest tree and pointed his staff at it. "Come out from behind there. There is no need to fear us." He said calmly. A boy of about sixteen or so stepped sullenly out from behind the trunk. He was the same boy who had first met SG1 on their previous visit to P2X-959. He was dressed in clothes that were the same colour as the forest except for a red sash that was slung round his waist. His hair was fair and his eyes were muddy brown. "Lakas." Said Teal'c in recognition and he nodded, the boy grinned in reply. "It is indeed good to see you again." "Daniel!" The boy bounded over to Daniel Jackson and stopped in front of him. "Why are you back?" He lowered his voice as if he was afraid of someone overhearing them, "The elders will kill you if they find you." "I know Lakas. We would not have come back if it wasn't very important. We... We have to ask you something and it's important that you tell us the truth." Said Daniel hesitantly. Teal'c had a faint idea that he distrusted the boy for some reason. "I don't think you are demons if that's what you mean." The boy beamed at the rest of the group. "Smart kid," murmured a member of SG3. "Pity the rest of his people aren't as smart as him." "Er... Yes." Daniel pushed his glasses up. "Listen do you know if the guards in the village poison their crossbow bolts?" "Yes they do why?" He replied. "Well a member of my team was shot during our escape and he is very ill. We need to know what plant they used." The boy moved his feet nervously. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sorry about your friend." He looked up. "Is it Jack?" Teal'c bowed his head slightly. "Oh," he said. "Do you know of anyone who can help us? Anyone who might know what plant they used to poison the bolts?" Daniel asked. "Well my sister is the herbalist of the village she might know something. I could take you to our house." His eyes glittered at the thought. "It is imperative that we do not get caught. Are you sure that your sister will not report us to your elders?" Asked Teal'c sternly. "What of your parents?" Lakas blinked slowly. "My parents are dead, it is only my sister and me who live in my house. I am certain that she will not turn you in, she is concerned only for the well-being of others and will be glad to help Jack." He turned and began to walk to the north. "Come on!" The leader of SG3 shrugged and followed him, his team in turn tagging on behind. Daniel Jackson looked at Teal'c and frowned. Then they both set off, walking side by side through the forest.  
* * *  
The plumes of smoke spiralling up through the treetops from the village gradually became visible to Teal'c as they neared Lakas' house. It was built a little way from the village and was made from weather-stained wood. There was a small herb garden outside in a little clearing that caught the sun and a basket filled with cuttings of various plants stood next to it. Lakas glanced around and quickly lead them inside.  
The cottage was small and cluttered with a long wooden table and a bench taking up most of one wall. Two doorways showed where Lakas and his sister slept.  
A woman who was in her mid-twenties stepped into view, she had shoulder length blonde hair and the same brown eyes as her brown. She too was dressed in non-descript dirt-coloured clothes.  
"Lakas!" She exclaimed. "Who are these..." Then she gasped with shock. "They are strangers that the elders accused of being demons. There's a reward for their capture, if you get caught harbouring them then..."  
"Please, we are not demons we are simply here to help a friend of ours who is sick." Pleaded Daniel Jackson. "If you turn us in our friend will die."  
"Yeah lady. All we need to do is get this plant and get out of here," said the leader of SG3. Lakas' sister frowned.  
"Excuse me, I need to fetch the herbs in before it gets dark." Said Lakas interrupting, apparently satisfied that he could leave them alone with his sister. He smiled at them and left. Daniel looked concerned but didn't move.  
"He means," Daniel continued, glaring at SG3's leader, "that our friend was shot with a crossbow bolt fired by one of the guards in our escape and it was poisoned. We need a sample of the plant used in order to make an antidote. We were hoping that you could help us er..."  
"Kidra. My name is Kidra. I don't know what poison they use but I could find out for you. However it will have to be in the morning as the men are away hunting at the moment. You could stay here overnight but I'm not sure there will be enough room for all of you..." Kidra looked at SG3 doubtfully.  
"Dr. Jackson, we'll head back to the gate and get a message back to General Hammond, as long as you and Teal'c stay inside this house then you shouldn't get spotted. When you have the damn plant just make your way back through the forest. Is that ok?"  
"Indeed Captain." Teal'c replied. With that SG3 went outside and walked south towards the gate.  
"Now you can sleep in Lakas' room and he sleep on the rug in my room. I just go and get two mats for you..." Murmured Kidra, rooting around in a cupboard. "You will have to be very quiet so that no one hears you, the guards sometimes patrol past here."  
Suddenly the door flew open. Seven men dressed in a primitive blue uniform and pointing metal crossbows at them with a chilling indifference stood in the doorway. Kidra dropped the bowl she was holding and it shattered on the floor with a crash that splintered the cold silence. Teal'c looked past the shoulders of the men and saw Lakas with a righteous look on his face behind them. Sometime he would have to learn to trust Daniel Jackson's suspicions. 


	8. My team

Having won three games in a row, the novelty of playing chess against her CO was beginning to wear off. Sam had noticed O'Neill getting paler and paler throughout the morning, so after winning for the forth time and then forcing the colonel to eat some jell-o for lunch, she hobbled into the room next to the infirmary; Janet's office. Her friend was sitting in her chair reading a book with an intense look of concentration on her face, her normally neat hair was partially falling out and her face was set in a half- frown.  
"Janet," said Sam softly. She jumped at Sam's voice and dropped the book onto the table in front of her. She could now see that the title of it was 'Poisons and Toxins: An Advanced Study'.  
"Sam! You scared me, is there anything wrong?" She asked. "Are you ok?" Sam realised that the worry was probably taking a toll on her as well.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I've noticed the Colonel getting paler and he has begun to sweat. I think he may have a fever."  
Janet looked even more tired. "Well that's a symptom that the seriousness of his condition is progressing." She sighed. "I'll come and take his temperature and see if I can give him some medication to keep it down." She got up and walked to a cupboard where she took out a thermometer. Then Janet suddenly seemed to grow taller, her head lifted and her back straightened. With a click of heels she was gone, moving swiftly into the other room towards the bed where Colonel O'Neill was lying. Sam shook her head in wonderment, she had never realised how strong Janet was. Even if she was near total despair she never let her patients know it, to them she was a rock, an emotional safety net. Her patients could be at death's door but they knew that Janet would always be right behind them with another way out, a new drug to try, or in Jack's case, a syringe. Sam grinned at the thought.  
In the other room Janet stuck the thermometer into O'Neill' mouth muffling his protests.  
"Just lie still a moment Colonel." She ordered. He squirmed under her stern gaze. She took it out and raised her eyebrows at the reading. Sam's stomach lurched. "You have a very high temperature Sir, I think I'll need to give you some drugs to bring it down. Ok?" She said.  
"You're the doc, doc." He said weakly. Janet bustled out and Sam sat beside his bed. She hated seeing him, someone who was usually so energetic and animated, in this state. Watching her expression, he smiled lopsidedly at her. "Hey Carter cheer up. They'll be back soon and we'll be able to go back to our downtime." He tried to sit up but his shoulder was obviously still painful and he slumped back into the pillow. "We'll get through this."  
She looked up and she could feel the tears stinging her eyes. "But how do you know that we'll get through this? How do you know Sir?" She stopped. She could almost feel the cold biting at her face again.  
"Yeah, I just got déjà vu too." He may be poisoned, bedridden and with a fever but he still retains his sense of irony Sam thought bitterly. "It's gonna be ok Carter. We've been in worse situations before and it's not as if there's no hope. I mean when we got an alien equivalent of Mr T and our very own Indiana Jackson helping us it's practically a safe bet." He grinned.  
Sam choked on her laughter then quickly made a failed attempt to look serious when General Hammond walked in.  
"How are you doing Colonel?" He asked kindly.  
O'Neill coughed slightly and said, "Never been better Sir."  
"Well Teal'c, Dr. Jackson and SG3 should be back any time soon," he said.  
"Yes Sir." O'Neill paused. "Thank you Sir."  
"That's alright Jack," he said. "Major, Colonel." He was about to turn and leave when...  
"Unscheduled off-world activation." A voice droned over the speaker system in the corridor and red lights started to flash.  
"Go on," said O'Neill to Sam. "Just come back and let me know who's visiting." With that General Hammond and Sam left the infirmary.  
"Sir. We aren't expecting any Tokra and SG15 aren't scheduled to be back for another two days. It might be Daniel and Teal'c." She said, almost unable to contain her excitement, as they went down the passage side by side.  
"Don't get your hopes up too much Major, just wait until they come through the gate until you start celebrating. In the past five years that I've been in charge of the SGC, I've learnt that if you don't expect anything then you can't be disappointed." General Hammond said wearily.  
* * *  
Sam hopped into the gateroom to see the general standing in the control room above her.  
"Receiving a transmission Sir." There was a pause, which seemed to Sam to last forever. She curled her hands into fists to stop them shaking. "It's SG3 Sir."  
"Open the iris!" Barked General Hammond and with one fluid motion, the massive metal disk retracted in on itself revealing the brilliant blue of the event horizon.  
For a few seconds the only sound that Sam could hear was the strange low roaring sound of the Stargate and her own harsh breathing. She imagined Jack lying in the infirmary; his eyes closed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and his dark grey hair messed up against the pillow. Waiting.  
Without warning a solitary figure fell through the Stargate and landed heavily on the deck below it. Sam's senses began to take it all in but her brain refused to function. It was Captain Jennings of SG3. His uniform was muddied and torn and around his leg it was covered in blood. The glint of metal could be seen in the fabric just below the back of his knee. He spoke in short ragged breaths, his face contorted in pain.  
"We left... Dr. Jackson, Teal'c at village to get plant... Went back to... Radio contact." Sam could vaguely hear General Hammond in the background calling for a medical team but for now she focused all her energy on listening to the man lying on the floor in front of her. She stiffly knelt by him, one hand holding onto her crutches. "They followed us... Damn boy must have...Twenty of them... And then they." Tears began to stream down his face. "My team they're... Gone. Dead." She suddenly felt dizzy.  
The medics lifted him gently onto the gurney then wheeled him out of the gateroom and Sam struggled to keep up.  
"What about Daniel and Teal'c? Where are they? Are they ok?" She asked urgently.  
"I think... they..." He gasped.  
"What?"  
"They got captured... Sorry..." He began to shake violently and as they pushed him away into the infirmary, into the room next to the colonel's, Sam could hear him whispering, "My team..." over and over again.  
It took all the self-control she had not to break down as she staggered into O'Neill's room. She forced herself to look at him.  
"Who? What happened?" He asked. She couldn't lie.  
"All but one of SG3 were killed." Tear began to cloud her vision. "Daniel and Teal'c were captured by the guards, Sir." She collapsed onto the side of his bed. "There's no way that General Hammond will let anyone else go through."  
"Come here," he said gently and she leaned into his arms. She could feel his heart beating. When they separated Sam had stopped crying but O'Neill's face was masked and his eyes were deadened. "Carter, I just want to be alone for a while now," he said, his voice emotionless. With a jolt she realised that he must blame himself for this.  
"Sir. This isn't your fault." Her mind was curiously numb.  
"Carter. Just... Just leave me alone for a while will you?" He said, staring resolutely at the wall behind her.  
She got up slowly and left. Sam made her way towards her lab, the tap- tap of the crutches echoing in the silence. 


	9. Realisation dawning

Hello again, nice little dream sequence here to keep all you lovely people entertained. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but my parents went away for a few days and took the laptop with them. Anyway thank you, thank you, thank you to Macisgate, Sandjgirl, Sci Fi Fan Gillian and Emowyen (Kit Kats- the miracle cure for writers block, spread the word!) for reviewing so many times and also to Natters (gives tissue). P.S Sorry again for the formatting. What the hell is wrong with it? Nothing! It looked fine on word! *Mutters  
  
Daniel gazed up into the shaft of moonlight that pierced the darkness of their cell. It came from a single barred window high above them. Daniel guessed that he could probably reach it if he stood on Teal'c shoulders but he didn't see what good that would do; there was no way he could move the bars apart.  
He sighed, slumped against the cold stone behind him and slowly slid down it until he was sitting. The guards had taken their weapons, GDOs and radios. The cell they had been locked in was in the basement of what seemed to be the meeting hall of the village and was made from solid stone with a heavy wooden door set into one wall. He didn't know if they were going to get out of this one and if they did it probably wouldn't be in time to save Jack.  
"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said from a dark corner. "There is someone outside." Daniel spun around, scuffing the dusty floor. In between the bars a vague silhouette was visible, it stayed for a few seconds then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.  
"What do you think it was?" He asked.  
"Possibly a bystander curious as to our predicament," replied Teal'c stoically.  
"Possibly," Daniel repeated.  
They had sat in relative silence for about an hour, listening to snatches of conversation that drifted down into their cell from the street outside. From what Daniel could gather there was going to be some kind of ceremony involving him and Teal'c at noon tomorrow. As to what that ceremony was and what religious significance it had, he didn't know but he did know that it probably wasn't good news for them. However he wasn't focused on what was going to happen to him, rather how Jack and Sam were coping back home. If SG3 had made it back to the gate then General Hammond should be expecting them back in a few hours. Back on Earth it would be early evening and normally Daniel would either be getting ready to go home or meeting the rest of SG1 in the mess for tea. Teal'c spoke again. "If we escape by midday tomorrow and return to the SGC with the a sample of the plant required for Colonel O'Neill's recovery then we may make it in time to save him." "If we can escape." Apparently Teal'c was also thinking about Jack and Sam. They lapsed into silence once more. "Do you mind if I kel'noreem Daniel Jackson?" Asked Teal'c. "No. I think I'll get some sleep at the same time." Daniel lowered himself carefully onto the floor not wanting to disturb the dust, the last thing he needed right now was to set his allergies off. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the dull ache of worry in his stomach.  
* * *  
The Stargate engaged, the chevrons locking not with their usual whirr of machinery but with an eerie silence. The event horizon erupted outwards and then fell back leaving the familiar blue puddle of light in its place. Shadows moved behind it, almost invisible in the glare. Daniel edged closer and the shadows merged to form a figure, a figure that he knew every contour of, one he had awoken next to every day for two years.  
"Sha're." He breathed.  
He ran around the back of the gate only to be met by the stark concrete wall that formed the back of the gateroom. There was nothing else there. He walked around to stand once again at the base of the ramp and once again the silhouette of his wife was visible behind the gate, so close but so inevitably unreachable. An old wound reopened and tears began to stream down Daniel's face. He walked unsteadily up the ramp, closer to the Stargate, closer to Sha're. The shadow reached out a ghostly hand, its fingers outstretched. Daniel did the same and his hand grazed the watery surface sending ripples in all directions. Suddenly the fragile silence was broken by the harsh sound of gunfire. Daniel staggered back with his ears ringing and his mind numbed. Bolts began to fly through the gate, slamming into the back wall and the blast door, which covered the control room window. Next, amidst the barrage, Jack and Sam fell backwards into the gateroom and landed with thud on the metal grating below. They both lay there, foreheads touching as if asleep, exactly how Daniel remembered. But instead of disengaging, the Stargate stayed open. The scene was beautiful. His two friends looked undisturbed and free of concern and fear, he had rarely seen them so peaceful. Sam's hair framed her face like a halo and Jack's face was without his customary half-frown. Their hands were even clasped together. Daniel glanced around, feeling extremely intrusive, and then realised with a jolt that the gunfire had stopped and all was deathly silent once again. When he looked back Jack was gone and Sam was standing next to him at the base of the ramp. "Sam, are you ok?" He asked but she didn't answer. She was staring at the gate with an intense look of despair. He looked and saw shadows moving behind the gate. He stepped closer, his breath caught in his throat and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam did too. He could make out the familiar form of Sha're but there was someone next to her. Someone tall and with messy hair. "Jack." To his surprise it was Sam, not him, who said it, but before he do anything his gaze was drawn inexorably towards Sha're. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him. She was gone and it was his fault. Realisation dawned.  
Then the silence overcame his thoughts. They stood there, in the cold grey gateroom, bathed in the unearthly blue light of the Stargate, transfixed by what had been and what could be.  
* * *  
Daniel opened his eyes.  
"You are awake Daniel Jackson," said Teal'c from the corner.  
"Yeah, I noticed." Daniel murmured sleepily. "Are you ok Teal'c?"  
"I am indeed well."  
"Good, good..." Daniel got unsteadily to his feet and looked blearily at the little patch of sky above him. It was a sky on the verge of dawn. He staggered over to the wall and lent against it, without coffee he was definitely not a morning person. After a few moments gravity won the battle and Daniel dropped into a sitting position. Teal'c hadn't moved an inch. "I had a strange dream last night."  
"As did I." Teal'c frowned slightly. "I was meditating when I suddenly found myself in the SGC and..." There was a bang as the door flew open. A stony-faced guard stood in the doorway then slowly he set a bowl of water on the floor.  
The guard drew his sword and walked cautiously into the room. Lakas strolled in, an unbearable smirk on his face. Daniel was about to say something but Teal'c beat him to it.  
"If you were not so young I would have already injured you greatly by now."  
Lakas' grin grew bigger. "Quiet demon," he said. Teal'c made as if to get up but the guard swung his sword around towards him.  
"Why did you betray us?" Daniel asked angrily. "One of our friends will die unless we get back to him with the plant, by keeping us here you have sentenced him to death."  
"I know. But O'Neill calls himself a Tauri so he admits that he is a demon. He deserves to die." He said matter-of-factly.  
With a roar Teal'c lunged at him but the guard was too quick. The point of his sword was at Teal'c's neck in a flash.  
"I'm warning you." He growled at him. Daniel glanced at Teal'c, who slowly backed down with the air of a caged animal.  
"Listen, we are not demons. The legend that refers to the Tauri as 'demons' was probably created by an alien called a Gould that came through the Stargate centuries ago. He posed as a god and enslaved your people. I don't know why he went, maybe he used up all the naquada here or..." But Daniel was interrupted by the sound of indrawn breath.  
"Blasphemer!" Spat Lakas. "How dare you dishonour the name of our God?"  
"False god," said Teal'c stoutly.  
"Teal'c, this isn't the time," muttered Daniel out of the side of his mouth.  
"Silence! You will be purged of your blasphemy as well as your wickedness at noon today." Lakas smiled and looked at the guard. "And then I will get my reward of acceptance to the militia." He turned to go.  
"What does your sister think of this?" Asked Daniel quietly.  
"What Kidra thinks is not important." For the first time since Lakas entered the cell he scowled. He strode out of the cell followed by the guard. "See you at noon!" He leered.  
"We will get rescued! Our friends went to get help." Called Daniel desperately.  
The sound of Lakas' laughing echoed down the corridor. "I don't think so Daniel. They were killed trying to escape though the circle!" The door slammed shut and Daniel went cold. 


	10. Goodnight

Oh, the soppiness. I did try to keep it at a bare minimum because I think that if the writing becomes overly sentimental then it takes the magic out of the scene. By the way, all of the science stuff is right and I have the book on quantum physics to prove it but the medicine is partly my own knowledge (probably wrong) and partly guesswork. So if anyone knows anything about this kind of stuff then could you please let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.  
  
Sam sighed. She had tried to bury herself in her work but not even the properties of polarized photon pairs could distract her from the harsh reality that faced her; two of her best friends were captured on a planet thousands of light years away with little or no chance of escape, another was slowly dying in a hospital bed down the corridor and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. The helplessness was overwhelming.  
She glanced at the clock. It was already six o'clock; maybe she could go and check on the colonel with the excuse of bringing tea.  
* * *  
Limping into the infirmary with a slightly concerned nurse carrying a tray following her, Sam saw Colonel O'Neill. He looked drawn and depressed; the customary glint that sparkled behind his eyes was gone, replaced by a dullness that was, to Sam, more frightening than his haggard appearance. Under the pressure of guilt, illness and worry his mind had turned in upon itself.  
She gestured to the nurse to put the food down and, after she had left, took a seat next to the bed.  
"How you holding up Carter?" He asked his voice cracking.  
"I'm fine Sir, what about you?"  
"I've been better." He shifted slightly and turned to face her.  
"Well, I've brought food... Pie." She said, a lot more cheerfully than she felt.  
"Er... As tempting as pie sounds Carter, I'm not really that hungry." He said sourly. As if on cue Janet strode into the room with the air of an avenging angel about her.  
"Colonel O'Neill!"  
"Aww crap," he whispered.  
"Did I hear you refusing food?" Not waiting for an answer she continued. "You are going to eat it because tomorrow you may not be able to. Would you want any of SG1 to suffer unnecessarily?" She asked more quietly.  
"No, of..." He started.  
"Exactly. Sam is trying to help, why don't you listen to her?" She suddenly grinned. "And if I don't come back to find at least half of that gone then I will have to get out the big needles. The really big needles." Smiling at both of them, Janet picked up some papers and walked into her office. Sam stared at her hands not daring to look at O'Neill.  
"Napoleonic war monger..." He grumbled not quite under his breath. To Sam's surprise he reached for the tray on the table beside him. "Sorry," he said. He began to eat the pie with painstaking slowness.  
"Sir... SG3..." He stopped, the fork midway to his mouth. "Daniel and Teal'c... It wasn't your fault." He closed his eyes for a moment and then continued to eat, not replying. "Maybe I should go." She began to get up.  
"Carter. Don't go." He looked at her directly for the first time since she had entered the infirmary. Jack's eyes told her things he couldn't say. "Stay. Talk."  
"Ok." Sam smiled sadly.  
"So what were you working on in your lab? I assume you were working?" He said through a mouthful of pie.  
"Well, if a very weak beam of light is incident on a polarizer..." A faint but familiar expression of bemused confusion crossed his face. "... and the two output beams are directed onto detectors capable of counting individual photons then..."  
"Ah! So you were working. You know you should probably get some rest Carter." O'Neill interrupted.  
"I'm fine, Sir." Sam insisted. She had often worked sixteen-hour shifts when she was engrossed in some experiment or other. "Shouldn't you? Sir?"  
"I think I might catch a little shuteye now, if you don't mind Carter." He grinned half-heartedly. "Got to get the beauty sleep."  
"Yes Sir." She raised her eyebrows. "I'll just read my book for a while." She took out a thick, red book from the side of the chair and opened it.  
"What book ya got there?" He asked casually.  
"Quantum Mechanics in Relation to Einstein's Theory of Relativity and the..."  
"Woa! Forget I asked." A glimmer of the old O'Neill showed through. "I wish Daniel and T..." And it was lost again. "Goodnight Carter," he said, sinking gently into the pillow and closing his eyes.  
"Goodnight Sir."  
* * *  
Having read solidly for over two and a half hours, Sam was bored, but she needed something to distract her. She could simply not face focusing on her current situation yet; she was still overwhelmed by the very likely possibility that by the end of the week, her three best friends would be missing, never to be seen again, or dead. She blinked away tears and put down her book then glanced around the room disinterestedly. The glow from Janet's office streamed under the door to the right of her, illuminating the half-light of the ward. A heart monitor beeped away in the background, measuring out the time, mocking her. An IV stand was next to her. Her gaze followed the tube down until it reached the bed where it was obscured by the sheets that covered O'Neill's arm.  
Colonel O'Neill himself was asleep; the only part of him visible was his head and face, which was slightly turned in towards the pillow so he was resting on his good shoulder, and his hand, dangling over the edge of the bed nearest to Sam. He looked peaceful asleep; he no longer had the tense 'fight or flight' look of a soldier about him and his face was free of worry-lines.  
He suddenly shifted slightly and murmured quietly against the pillow. Sam froze but breathed out when she realised he was still asleep. A blush formed on her cheeks and she mentally scolded herself but nonetheless her eyes were still drawn towards the occupant of the bed next to her. His hand was close enough to touch...  
The door to Janet's office creaked open and Sam jerked back. She walked in, heels clicking on the hard floor.  
"How is he?" She asked.  
"Ok. He's asleep." Sam said. Janet pressed a few buttons on the large grey machine that measured his vital signs.  
"Hmm... His heart rate is quite slow, even for someone who is sleeping." She said, frowning.  
"What does that mean?" Sam said, not really wanting to know the answer.  
"It means..." Janet paused and swallowed. "Sam, these are the first signs of an impending coma."  
"Impending." Sam repeated.  
"Yes. Probably within the next few hours or so but it's hard to say." She said putting her hand on Sam's shoulder.  
"Oh. Shouldn't we wake him or something?" What if she didn't get to speak to him again?  
"That would to him more harm than good. I'm sorry Sam." Janet said softly. "I'll just go and get General Hammond; he wanted to be kept notified about the colonel's condition." With a glance back at O'Neill, she hurried out of the infirmary, her white coat billowing behind her in her haste.  
Sam sat and stared for a while. The last word she had spoken to him had been Sir.  
O'Neill's hand was inches away from hers and, without a second thought, she took it gently, forcing herself not to squeeze it so he would wake up and she could speak to him once more.  
He breathed in deeply. Then opened his eyes.  
"Sir! I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Sam said quickly.  
"Hmm?" He croaked sleepily. "It's ok." He blinked in the dim lights. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing, Sir. Just go back to sleep." She almost regretted calling him by his first name because now he knew there was something wrong.  
"Carter." He moved a rough thumb over the back of her hand.  
"Sir." A ghost of a grin swept over O'Neill's face. "Sleep." She ordered him.  
"Yes, Ma'am." He murmured jokingly, then his expression changed abruptly. "Listen, I..."  
"I know Jack." Sam knew something was inevitably going to break; her heart or the barriers. "Me too."  
There was a moment of taunt silence. Then his eyes closed and his hand went limp. Sam was lost, but then she heard him whisper...  
"Sam." And, despite it all, she smiled. 


	11. No time

Thanks to O'NeillRoxMyWorld for pointing out that mistake, I've corrected it and will anyone let me know if I have made anymore. I don't use a beta so the errors are my own. Another huge, enormous, gigantic thank you to Macisgate, Sandjgirl and Sci Fi Fan Gillian for reviewing that many times that I've lost count. Thank you for taking the time to review. Only a few more chapters to go people, hang in there.  
  
They stood in silent vigil around the bed. No one spoke or moved, everyone was captivated by the moment, not wanting it to end for fear of what that end might bring. So for a few minutes the only sound was the incessant beeping of the heart rate machine reminding every person present that the sands of time were slowly, inescapably running out.  
"How long?" General Hammond broke the brittle silence with his thick Texan accent.  
"Four, maybe five hours. It's hard to tell Sir." Janet said, her eyes wide.  
"Ok." He patted O'Neill's arm weakly. "Hang in there son." With one last concerned glance back at Sam he walked out of the infirmary.  
"Sam." Said Janet and wrapped her arms around her in a hug, taking care not to knock her crutches. Sam began to cry silently into her friend's shoulder. "Shhh."  
"Oh god Janet. What am I going to do?" She said, her words muffled.  
"I don't know." Janet stepped back and Sam could see a single tear running down her face. "I'm sorry but I need to go." Sam nodded mutely. "I'll be back in a hour or so. I need to talk to General Hammond about something." She embraced her again quickly and strode out of the ward, sweeping her hand across her eyes as she did so.  
There Sam waited. She had felt like this before when Daniel had ascended, suspended between mourning and hope, not trusting herself to do one or the other in case she was wrong. She remembered the last proper conversation they had all had, it seemed like so long ago, it was when they were at the colonel's house and talking about the scientific plausibility of their favourite science-fiction films.  
* * *  
"I must concur with Daniel Jackson that Starwars is the most realistic of the films I have observed." Said Teal'c seriously.  
"Aww come on! 2001 is way more accurate. I mean, what about that weird computer thing that got stuck inside Carter's head?" Everyone stared at O'Neill blankly. "Hello... Hal? Does anybody see the resemblance?"  
"What?" Asked Daniel, taking a sip of his drink.  
"Both evil computers with homicidal tendencies?" Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "You gotta be kidding me."  
"Hmm..." Said Sam diplomatically. "I don't know about that but you must admit that the 'next stage in evolution' is remarkably similar to the Ancients."  
O'Neill lent back in his chair contentedly. "See Carter agrees," he said, as if that settled the argument.  
"But Jack, you have to agree that as a whole Starwars is better than 2001 in terms of the actual films." Said Daniel irritably.  
"Daniel..."  
"Jack..."  
"Daniel... You know that isn't true." Teal'c glanced bemusedly at Sam.  
"If I thought that wasn't true then why would I say it Jack?" Daniel and O'Neill were ready to go into full-scale mock-argument mode.  
"Actually I think that Bladerunner is a lot better than both Starwars and 2001," said Sam cutting off O'Neill's reply.  
"What!" Exclaimed O'Neill and Daniel simultaneously.  
* * *  
She smiled at the thought and as she did, her head bowed down towards the bed in front of her. She rested her cheek against the covers and, still clutching his hand, she let exhaustion overwhelm her.  
* * *  
Janet walked into the infirmary an hour and a half later. She wasn't surprised to find Sam asleep next to the colonel with their hands clasped together. She had known it for a long time.  
She gently shook her awake. Sam opened her eyes.  
"Sam. Sorry to wake you but there's something I need to tell you." Sam felt an all too familiar lurch in her stomach. "I estimate that he only has a couple of hours left now and... I don't know how to tell you this."  
Sam's eyes tried to search hers. "What?" She asked, her voice trembling.  
"Well... If Daniel and Teal'c did come back with the plant... Then I would still have to develop an antidote, yes?"  
"Yes." Sam knew what was coming. The cold, hard, logical fact rushed towards her with the inevitability of a speeding train.  
"There's no time." Janet breathed in shakily. "Even if they did bring it I wouldn't be able to make an antidote in time to save Colonel O'Neill. Sam, I'm sorry."  
Then the hope was extinguished like a candle flame in the midst of a storm. Teal'c and Daniel were gone and Jack would die.  
Sam just sat there, squeezing his hand tight and holding the tears in. She was numbed all over.  
"Sam..." Janet started.  
"Could I be alone for a while?"  
"Oh. Of course." Janet went into her office and closed the door carefully. But before she did Sam could see that her face was streaked with tears.  
She moved her chair so it was up against the bed and leaned in towards him, stroking his short, steely grey hair. Strangely she was quite calm, she had a mission to complete, something she needed to do before she got emotional.  
"Jack." She murmured, half expecting him to reply. She moved closer to him. One of her tears fell onto his cheek and his eyelids flickered. "I need to tell you..."  
She stopped. She could hear him speaking to her again, saying his last word. Sam.  
She brushed her lips against his and whispered in his ear like she was sharing a secret.  
"I love you."  
Then sirens sounded. 


	12. Force of nature

I am a horrible, horrible person. I am so sorry I this story for so long without updating, it's been, what? A month? And on such a terrible cliffhanger as well. I just haven't had a chance to write much as I have been getting tons of homework lately and I'm stressing out about my maths GSCE and my year 10 exams. Anyway I'll try and write a new chapter every week but it should be finished soon. The end is nigh my friends, the end is nigh! P.S. Thanks to mishy-mo plus the usual suspects for reviewing.  
  
Teal'c meditated. There was nothing else to do. Daniel Jackson had taken to pacing the floor of the cell; disturbing the dusty floor and making himself cough. They hadn't seen another guard since Lakas came to gloat at them a few hours ago and inwardly Teal'c was starting to get concerned that they would have no chance to get away from their captors until noon. Then it might be too late for O'Neill.  
Surfacing from his trance, Teal'c stood up and stretched his large frame. He turned to his cellmate.  
"What would the religious ceremony that was referred to by the guards involve Daniel Jackson?" He asked. If he knew what was going to happen to them then he might be able to devise a way to escape.  
Daniel Jackson stopped pacing suddenly and span around to face Teal'c.  
"Well, if their religious beliefs, like their appearance, are similar to that of the medieval peoples of Western Europe then there are a number of things they could do to us." He said, seemingly glad to have a historical question to focus on rather than the fate of O'Neill.  
"Such as?"  
"Well, they could burn us at the stake but I find that quite unlikely as they haven't accused us of being witches, which is who that punishment was traditionally reserved for, just demons. However there were some cases documented by various priests in Romania..." He began to ramble.  
"What else?" Teal'c interrupted.  
"Sometimes they would torture people who they thought were possessed by demons to death. Or there was a ceremony where some blood was let from the accused and everyone present drank it."  
"Then what? Were they set free?" Asked Teal'c with a trace of hope in his voice.  
"Erm... No. They were hung, drawn and quartered?" Said Daniel Jackson nervously.  
"I see."  
There was a possibility that they could overpower the guards on their way to the ceremony but it didn't seem very likely that just the two of them could escape through a crowded village in the middle of the day with no weapons. Teal'c's tactical mind was at a loss.  
"What about the plant?" Said Daniel Jackson abruptly. Teal'c knew where he was going. "What if there's not enough..."  
"Indeed." He said, once again cutting him short. He didn't want to think on that particular possibility. "We shall have to wait." They lapsed into silence.  
  
Teal'c sat against the now-warm wall and stared up at the dust dancing in the beam of light; he guessed it was almost noon.  
  
Then, as if on cue, the door slammed open, making Daniel Jackson jump. Four guards stood around the doorway, one was carrying two sets of chains and the other three were armed to the teeth. Teal'c cursed inwardly, they obviously had some experience of handling prisoners; Daniel Jackson and himself would have no hope of overpowering the four guards.  
  
They were led through dark winding corridors and then out into the blinding sunlight of the little courtyard. It was eerily silent, not even birds singing overhead broke the stillness. When Teal'c's sight cleared he could just make out a long table positioned at one end of the square. Along it were sat five people, three men, Lakas, who was grinning widely and one woman. On the table itself was a large worn book with one large earthenware cup placed on top of it.  
  
They were dragged to the front of the table and shoved to their knees. The woman slowly stood up and looked at them with watery-blue eyes. After a moment she spoke.  
  
"Demons. You have tainted our village, you have tricked our people, you have killed our soldiers and you have sinned against our gods." Her mouth grew thin and she began to shake with suppressed rage. "You must be cleansed! Then you will be punished!" She drew a knife from her robes and ran her claw-like fingers over it. She opened the book and started to chant in a low voice.  
  
Teal'c glanced over to Daniel Jackson. His eyes were closed and his lips moved in time to the words.  
  
Suddenly he jerked upright and yelled, "No! Wait! We aren't demons! We're travellers from another world. We are sorry for the deaths of your men but we had no choice..."  
  
"Quiet!" She screeched. Apparently finished with the book, she snapped it shut and swept around the table towards them, snatching the bowl up as she passed it. A guard grabbed Teal'c's arms and held them out in front of him, he didn't bother to resist; it would not change their situation. Then, at the edge of his vision, Teal'c saw something. A figure in the shade of the trees by the table, he narrowed his eyes, straining to get a better view.  
  
Suddenly he gritted his teeth at a sharp pain in his forearm. The woman had stabbed him and by the yelp that came from his right, he guessed that she had done the same to Daniel Jackson too.  
  
"Kidra!" She yelled, her face twisted into a gleeful smile. The shadow behind the tree moved and as it stepped into the bright sunlight, Teal'c could see that it was indeed the same Kidra they had met before; Lakas' sister. His stomach lurched. He had genuinely thought that she was sincere about hiding them but now he realised it had been only a matter of time before they were given to the guards. It was staggering how much loyalty a god, even a false one who had been gone for centuries, could invoke in a person. Faithfulness to her religion had made Kidra betray them.  
  
She edged closer, her hands in the pockets of her smock, looking everywhere but at them. Teal'c could see that she had been crying.  
  
"It is your honour, as the apothecary, to collect the blood. Cleanse them." The old woman handed her the bowl and walked back to her seat.  
  
Her hands trembling, Kidra caught the blood that was now pouring from Teal'c's arm in the chalice. It was a bright translucent red in the sunshine. Then she shuffled over to Daniel Jackson and did the same.  
  
"You don't have to do this." He said, looking up at her. Kidra's eyes widened.  
  
Teal'c felt a surge of anger. "I believe she has already chosen."  
  
She bowed her head and rushed back to the table. The grey-haired woman grabbed the cup off her greedily and slowly raised it to her lips. She paused and stared directly at Teal'c then took a deep sip and passed it to Lakas sitting next to her. Teal'c was transfixed, wanting to look away but unable to. There were specks of blood around the woman's mouth as she sat back contentedly in her chair, eyes half closed in silent ecstasy.  
  
The people around the table had now all had a drink and they passed the cup to the guards who all drank with the same sickening enthusiasm. Finally it was Kidra's turn. Her hands were shaking so much they were a blur and as she took the goblet she spilled some of its contents onto the dust at her feet. Her head snapped down and breathed in slowly. The old woman at the table glared at her.  
  
"Quickly girl. Quickly!" Teal'c heard one of the guards behind him shift with impatience, she rose the cup to her mouth...  
  
Then, thump. He tore his gaze away from Kidra to see the old woman slumped across the table. One of the men shouted in alarm as Lakas too fell forward, his head resting on his arms. Next, the guard directly behind Daniel Jackson staggered into another causing them both to fall onto the ground with a thud.  
  
As the last guard dropped into the dust, Kidra grabbed Teal'c arm and helped him up.  
  
"Sorry for not rescuing you sooner, I was not able to get to you inside the prison." She said as she went through the guards' pockets. "Come on! We'll go through the town hall, it will be empty at this time of day."  
  
They ran through the entrance to the large building that surrounded the square. Kidra dodged past the tottering piles of books and scrolls that lined the walls of the corridors with Teal'c and Daniel Jackson following closed behind, chains rubbing at their wrists. Eventually they got to the door leading to the rest of the village.  
  
"When I say, we shall have to run down the street and through that alleyway over there." She pointed to a gap in between the tumbledown cottages. "Alright." She walked hurriedly through the doorway and onto the road beyond. Her eyes flitted to either side. "Go!" She yelled.  
  
Daniel Jackson scrambled past a particularly unstable pile of books and sprinted across the street to the alley. Kidra followed clutching her skirts and Teal'c, making sure that there were no guards in the vicinity, ran after them.  
  
Ignoring the shouting behind her, Kidra lead them through a maze of back alleys and paths till they neared the edge of the wood.  
  
"Thank you Kidra, you risked much to help us, you went against your brother, for this we owe you gratitude." Teal'c inclined his head to her solemnly and Daniel Jackson smiled warmly.  
  
"Oh, it was only a sleeping draught that I slipped into the cup. They will wake up in a few hours." She suddenly looked very weary.  
  
"We can find our own way back to the gate Kidra, you don't have to put yourself in anymore danger."  
  
"That reminds me. I found this in the guard's pockets, Lakas told me that you need them to travel though the portal." She held out a GDO. "Besides if I return to the village they will hang me for helping you. I'll take you to the circle then I'll walk to my cousin's town about a dozen miles from there. I will be safe there." She sighed and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Once again we are indebted to you," said Teal'c as they started out into the woods.  
  
They stood at the foot of the steps beneath the Stargate. Daniel Jackson began to dial it up, hands darting over the well-known sequence of symbols. Teal'c stood stoically next to Kidra as they watched. Finally the last chevron locked and the 'Gate splashed outwards, Kidra gasped in astonishment and Teal'c smiled a rare smile. He had always liked observing someone seeing the Stargate engage for the first time, their faces a strange mixture of fear, wonderment and intrigue. He still felt that way every time he travelled through it but it seldom showed in his expression, to him it was like a force of nature rather than a piece of super-advanced technology. It could be tamed, used to ones advantage but if you didn't treat it with respect it would, as O'Neill so elegantly put it, 'come back and bite you in the ass'.  
  
"Thank you," Daniel Jackson said, taking her hand. "You have saved our lives." He turned and walked up the steps to the event-horizon, pausing only to enter the code on the GDO.  
  
Teal'c turned to Kidra and bowed. Sometime he could not find the words. He glanced back at her and then he too strode up the steps into the blue oblivion. The last words he heard before he stepped through the portal were; "Oh no. Wait! What about the antido..." 


	13. A Long Day

Thanks to Black Leather (ace name by the way) and Savin for reviewing. Only one chapter to go folks! Hang in there!

Daniel stepped through the Stargate, leaving the dappled sunlight of the forest for the harsh artificial lighting of the gateroom.

"Stand down." General Hammond's voice was followed by the clicks of safety catches. "Where's Teal'c?" He asked. "Are you ok son?"

"Teal'c is right behind me and apart from a little, shall we say, disagreement with the natives we're fine." Daniel noticed Sam standing by the side of the ramp, one arm wrapped around her waist and the other steadying herself against her crutches. Her face streaked with tears. He went to her and enveloped her in hug.

"It's alright Sam. Me and Teal'c are fine." He said into her hair.

"I'm so glad you're ok." She said weakly. "If you and Teal'c were gone too…"

The hidden meaning of these words hit Daniel like a kick to the stomach. His eyes opened wide. "What do you mean too?"

At that moment Teal'c came through the Stargate. "General Hammond." He said urgently. "I must return. I must obtain the antidote that can help O'Neill."

"I'm sorry Teal'c, I can't let anyone else go through there. One team has already been killed on that planet and you two only just managed to escape. I can't risk it." Hammond frowned.

The antidote! Daniel froze. How could he have not realised? He looked at Sam to say something but words failed him when he saw the expression on her face. Maybe this was it for SG1, maybe this was the end. Jack would die, Teal'c would return to Tulac, Sam would probably quit the SGC and Daniel would once again be lost, never really belonging. He supposed that they would all feel that way; incomplete. A long bleak future without his best friend stretched into the distance...

There was a clatter of steel grating as something hit the ramp and the Stargate disengaged. Daniel turned and saw a small tan-coloured drawstring bag lying on the metal lattice. In a trance his slowly walked up to it, every person in the gateroom watching him in total silence. He bent down and picked it up. It was made from some kind of animal skin and felt warm to the touch. He opened it with trembling fingers and brought it close to his face to look inside, it smelt of damp leaves. He tipped its contents out into his hand. It was a tiny glass bottle filled with a pale green cloudy liquid. There was note attached, he opened it.

Daniel stood up. Everyone stared at him and he held his hand out in front of him and uncurled his fist to show them the bottle.

"I think," he said. "I found what we were looking for."

* * *

He showed the note to Janet who looked at it sceptically. It showed a crude drawing of a man who had a crossbow bolt sticking out of his side. He was drinking out of a bottle.

"So you think that he should drink it?" She asked, glancing over at the bed. Daniel nodded. She inhaled deeply. "Alright, it's not as if I have much choice." She took the bottle and leaned over Jack. Taking out the cork, she parted his lips and dropped a little of the liquid between them. His eyelids flickered and he spluttered. Janet tipped the rest in and held one hand over his mouth and nose whilst massaging his throat with the other. After a few tense moments he swallowed.

She turned around the face the others and said, "That's all I can do. It will probably take a few hours to work but I'll send for you if we see any sign of recovery. Why don't you get some sleep Sam?"

Sam shook her head absently and went down to sit by Jack's bed.

"Thank you Doctor." Said General Hammond as he walked out. Janet smiled grimly and went into her office, leaving them alone.

For a few moments no one said anything, instead watching the prone figure in the bed in front of them. Then breaking the taunt silence, Daniel spoke.

"How have you been holding up Sam?" He asked.

"Oh I've been ok. Frustrated but ok." She gestured weakly to her crutches.

"I believe that Dr Fraiser is correct in saying that you should sleep Major Carter. You look most tired." Teal'c said solemnly.

"Thanks Teal'c" Said Sam, the hint of a smile about her lips. "But I'll stay here until Colonel O'Neill wakes up." Her faint smile disappeared and she gazed anxiously at him.

Daniel and Teal'c did the same. He seemed like another person; so utterly different from the Jack they knew. He was emotionless, not bored or angry or bemused or determined, which their Jack, inexplicably, was capable of being all at the same time. He wasn't in fight-or-flight soldier mode. He wasn't relaxed and ready to go fishing. He was… Neutral.

This disturbed Daniel. If Jack had looked as if he was in pain then at least Daniel would have know that his friend was still in there somewhere, still as stubborn and as obstinate as usual, still fighting. But this new expressionless Jack was disconcerting.

He inwardly shuddered and sat back in his chair; it was going to be a long day.

* * *

They had been silent for over an hour. Daniel could hear footsteps fading away as someone walked past the entrance to the infirmary in the corridor outside and as the hour hand on the clock that hung on the wall of the infirmary juddered to a halt on the eleven, Daniel could feel his hope fading too. He glanced at his companions; Teal'c was staring fixedly at Jack's bed and Sam had a despairing, vacant look on her face, a single tear trickling down her cheek. Daniel felt a rush of sympathy for her that briefly overpowered his depression…

Then in the stillness there was an intake of breath. The three were at the side of bed in a flash and Daniel's heart seemed to stop beating as they carefully leaned over Jack.

He opened his eyes.

"What…" Jack groaned, screwing up his eyes. "Uh… I feel like crap."

"Good to have you back Sir." Sam beamed.

"Hey Carter." He smiled and then looked blearily at Teal'c and Daniel. "Hey T! Space-monkey! I thought you were… well, dead."

"On the contrary O'Neill, myself and Daniel Jackson are well. We were merely imprisoned but we managed to escape our captors and obtain an antidote." Said Teal'c, the beginnings of a grin playing about his lips.

"Thanks guys…" Suddenly his eyes widened. "Er… Watch it. Napoleonic war-monger at six o'clock." He croaked.

Daniel span around to find Janet standing just behind them with her arms folded across her chest and an air of determination about her.

"Good morning Colonel." She said, as if waking up from a coma was something that happened everyday, and then she turned to Sam. "I though I told you to get some rest." Not waiting for a reply she went on. "Come on, you've hardly slept in the past seventy-two hours." Sam started to protest. "I can make it an order." Janet said warningly.

"I'll come and see you in a few hours." She said to Jack and then she hobbled out of the room, crutches clattering against the door. Janet then rounded on Daniel and Teal'c.

"What about you two? You haven't had your post-mission physical yet have you?" She said and Daniel leaned back slightly. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Jack grinning weakly. "Come on. Out!" Daniel moved reluctantly towards the door.

"Now Colonel…" She said and Daniel saw Jack's grin turn abruptly to an expression of fear and he smiled; Colonel Jack O'Neill was back.


	14. Looking to the future

Ahh… It feels good to finish this story. I don't think I'll be writing another long one until the holidays; this one just kept unravelling. I've already written a one-off so maybe I'll do a few more of those. (Actually I was thinking of writing a few more chapters to 'Green Shadows' in the other characters' points of view. What do you reckon?)

Thanks again to Hope's Tears (I know! I'm taking one GCSE early and that's bad enough. Incidentally my calculator paper is on Tuesday.) and Sci Fi Fan Gillian who took the time to review even though I said I didn't mind if you did or didn't, it means a lot to me and, I think, has helped to improve my writing throughout the story. Well that's all folks. Cya, luv Rivergem. P.S What? Didn't I tell you I liked angst? Heh heh heh.

All of SG1 were sitting on Colonel O'Neill's roof. Daniel, having had a bit too much to drink, i.e. four bottles of beer, was sprawled over a deck chair, telling a bemused Teal'c about a dream he had recently had. He was gesturing wildly towards Sam and the Colonel and saying something about someone's hair. Sam grinned; Daniel really couldn't hold his drink.

Teal'c, on the other hand, was as sober as usual and apart from tipping his chair backwards slightly every few minutes to avoid some of Daniel's more erratic hand movements, seemed relatively relaxed. Sam knew that, like her, Teal'c was just happy to enjoy the company of his team, reunited once more.

Colonel O'Neill was bent over his telescope, oblivious to everything except the stars. As soon as General Hammond had ordered them to take a week of downtime, he had suggested that they finish off their stay at his house. Tonight was the last night, with only a weekend to go before returning to the SGC. Their bags packed and sitting in the living room beneath them, Sam, wanting to exercise her newly healed foot, had proposed that they all go up onto the roof for one final drink. That had been two hours ago.

"O'Neill. I believe that I should now take Daniel Jackson home, he is quite intoxicated and is unfit to drive." Teal'c said, looking pointedly at Daniel who was laughing quietly to himself.

"Sure T. You gonna be ok to drive?" Asked O'Neill.

"Indeed."

"It's getting late, I'll start packing up the telescope now and you can take your bags to the car." Teal'c got up and, dragging Daniel by the arm, led him carefully towards the ladder. After much protesting on Daniel's part, she heard the crunch of gravel as they reached the bottom. "You off too Carter?" O'Neill said to Sam who had stood up.

"Yeah. I need to get back, I'm going shopping tomorrow morning." She said quickly.

"Shopping eh? I never figured you as the shopaholic type Carter." Said O'Neill, grinning boyishly.

"Oh, no. I'm going food shopping." She said, now wishing that she were 'the shopaholic type' as the Colonel had said.

"Oh. Ok. How about you go and get your stuff ready and I'll be down in a sec to help you." He said and began to unscrew the tripod of the telescope.

Relishing being able to do so, Sam slid easily down the steel ladder and went and fetched her bags from the house. She heaved her suitcase into the boot when she heard Teal'c behind her.

"I will see you on Monday Major Carter." Said Teal'c, solemnly hugging her and then turning towards the car. Daniel was still clumsily climbing down the ladder having just said good-bye to O'Neill who was apparently still taking apart his telescope. Jumping the last few rungs, he staggered across the drive and stumbled into her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Jack hash messy hair doeshn't he?" He slurred. "That'sh how I knew it wash him behind the Shtargate. Bye Sam." With that he practically fell into the back seat of his car and slammed the door shut after him. There was a roar of tyres grinding into gravel and they drove away. Sam blinked.

She made her way over to the ladder and paused at the bottom, feeling strangely nervous. She could almost hear her heart beating and her hands shook as she grasped the steel rung in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she began to climb. Sam clambered over the edge of the roof and looked up. O'Neill was still pretending, as she now recognised, to take apart the telescope. He turned around, a silhouette against the glow of the street lights behind him.

"So. You going now Carter?" He asked quietly.

"Erm… Yes. Thanks for letting us stay over. I had a good time." She stuttered.

"Glad you enjoyed it." Sam couldn't see the expression on his face but he stepped forward as he said it. To her surprise she moved towards him too. They were so close now; she could feel his breath, see her reflection in his eyes.

"I… Got to go…" The cold evening wind ruffled her hair and stung her cheeks but she didn't notice.

"I heard you." Jack said simply and her mind went blank. Then in a rush of understanding she realised what he was talking about. She felt numb. She could only stand there, inches away from him, staring. "Me too." He whispered.

They leaned in towards each other…

Then, as one, they inclined their heads. Sam looked down and a solitary tear fell to the floor. The barrier was still there, as achingly unbreakable as ever. With every cell in her body telling her to stay, ever fibre of her willing her to just reach out and… Sam turned away.

"Goodbye Jack." She stole one last glance at him. He was looking resolutely down at the concrete, his head bowed.

"Goodbye Sam." She heard him say softly as she climbed back down. Tears welled up in her eyes and she opened the door of her car and sat down. She gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles went white.

With a weak glimmer of hope still burning in the darkness in her mind, Sam drove away.

Above her on the roof, O'Neill, not able to watch her go, sat at his telescope, eyes gazing at the stars but mind looking to the future.

The End.


End file.
